| I used to believe… | Now I know… |
| There’s no way to stop students from writing a mixture of bad sentences and good sentences.
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I can prevent students from writing bad sentences by training them to write good ones first. |
| Careful notes in the margins of papers made a difference | Notes in the margins waste my time, which is better spent reading the paper aloud in conference with the student
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| Students understand what an active verb is | Students can understand what an active vcrb is after thorough training and practice.
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| Students can identify a fragment or run-on | Many students can’t tell a fragment from a real sentence, and they must be trained.
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| Students can tell when a sentence is confusing because it is too long | Students must be trained to look at long sentences and check them for clarity.
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| You have to let students write their confusing first drafts and then improve them during revision. | You prevent students from writing confusing drafts—by insisting on short clear sentences from the first day of class.
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| Modest improvements in writing are possible in freshman comp. | Dramatic improvement in writing is possible in freshman comp.
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